


Run, Don't Look Back

by lologoblens



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Alternate Universe - Human, Diners, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, runaways - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26757661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lologoblens/pseuds/lologoblens
Summary: Catra knows they're never gonna be accepted here in their hometown. So she makes a suggestion; runaway. She already planned to go after graduation, what's moving up the timeline a few months? At least they can be together, right?
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 267





	Run, Don't Look Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hii! Hello! So first of all;
> 
> **TW:** For homophobia (including a brief reference to conversion therapy). It's nothing super vivid but is somewhat central to at least the first part of the plot.
> 
> Second, this story is inspired by a theory I had a bout **Her by Amitola12**. When I found out my guess was off I was like hey, chill, guess I have to go write that. So in a sense this is a fanfic of a fanfic lol. Also loosely inspired by the song Daughter by L Devine. So thanks to them for that story, the song rec and the inspiration!!
> 
> _Also_ , **Her** is _very_ good and you should go read it. Like, right now is good, I'll wait.
> 
> Anyway, I don't usually start off with a note so I'm gonna leave it there and sign off until the end!

## ...

I can hear the screaming as I approach the door. She emerges and tears stain her cheeks. It makes me livid; I could honestly fight her mom, but I know it wouldn’t help. She’s a bitch and I’m never going to know more than God. Or at least, that’s how her ignorant ass will always see it.

“You need to go Catra, you can’t be here.” 

“What? No! You don’t have to listen to her, it’s not _her_ life. It’s _ours_!”

“We can talk about this tomorrow, okay? Just-you need to go. Now.”

“This is fucking stupid. She doesn’t want to let you be who you are and you’re gonna send _me_ away?”

“You know it’s not like that. I still need somewhere to _live_ Catra. And…she’s my mom. Just because she’s not, you know… _cool_ w-“

“You mean she’s a bigot.” That earns me a glare and it just pisses me off more. I’m not fucking wrong.

“Not helping.”

“Whatever, this is dumb. You need somewhere to live? _Fine_ , let’s run away. Get out of this stupid hick town and go somewhere that doesn’t suck. Somewhere we can be together without getting _screamed_ at.”

She sucks in a harsh breath. “You don’t mean that.”

I can see all her doubts written across her face. I step forward and grab her hands, rubbing the backs of them to soothe those doubts away. “I _do_. Come on babe, I’ll be eighteen in less than two weeks. We can go somewhere, and I can get a job. You can go to art school and forget about the stupid fucking ivy’s and all the pressure she’s putting on you. You can choose your own destiny.” _You can choose me._

She bites her lip and looks nervously behind her. I can tell I have her attention; I just have to keep it. “Catra…it sounds amazing, but it just isn’t that easy.”

“It isn’t _easy_.” I squeeze her hands encouragingly. “But it is _better_. You know I’ve been saving up for after graduation, my car is in my name…. Why not, huh?” 

I venture a soft smile and she smiles back, weak and watery, but a smile nonetheless. “I-I’ll think about it, but only if you _go_.”

I relent and walk away, already knowing I’ve convinced her.

## …

My eyes are starting to droop, so I move to pull in at a rest stop. She stirs next to me and blinks her eyes open. “What time it is?” She asks with a yawn.

“It’s nearly three. I gotta pull over though, I’m not good to drive anymore tonight.”

“Hmm, okay. Lemme sleep an hour or two longer and I can take over, okay Kitty?”

I smile faintly back and nod. I fall asleep in no time. I wake up a few hours later to her nudging my arm. I scoot to the passenger’s seat and am asleep again before she even starts the car.

## …

Things start to go south our third day of driving. We stop at a diner for dinner, planning to get a motel for the night so we can shower and get a little bit of actual sleep. I can tell she’s irritable and honestly, I am too. Hopefully a couple cups of shitty coffee will help. 

We seat ourselves and sit in silence, looking over the menus. They look like the menus at every fucking other diner in the country. I’m sure we both know what we’re gonna order within seconds. We keep staring at them anyway. Then out of nowhere, not taking her eyes of the menu, she says, “I talked to her last night.”

That has me looking up. “ _What?_ ” I know how hard the word sounds, but is she fucking kidding me? She really couldn’t wait to drop this until after I had some coffee? Let along having called her mom in the first place. It’s reckless; she’s gonna get us caught.

“She just kept _calling_ and calling. And I…felt bad.” She mumbles the last part, but I hear it loud and fucking clear. “I know she’s worried about me.”

I scoff but before I can get into it our waitress walks up. She looks like she’s our age or close to it and, honestly, kinda gay. If she is, I feel for her; this town is even smaller than the one we came from. I can’t imagine it’s much more queer. 

“Hey guys!” I know without looking she’s rolling her eyes at that. She’s always hated being called ‘guys’ or ‘dude’. “My name’s Adora and I’m gonna be helping you out tonight. Can I get any drinks started?”

“Yeah, I’d love some coffee in just like, the biggest mug you have.”

Adora chuckles. “Can do, you want any cream for that?” I shake my head. “Great, and for you?”

“Iced tea please.”

“Awesome guys, I’ll be right back with those.”

There’s an awkward beat of silence. Then she mutters, “Well _she’s_ fucking annoying.”

I roll my eyes at her; she’s so fucking crabby right now. “It’s just a colloquialism babe.” 

“Whatever.”

Yeah, whatever indeed.… “So, you talked to your mom?”

“Alright! We got coffee over here and an iced tea for you.” 

I give Adora a tight smile. “Thanks.”

“You bet! Ready to order food or should I give you a minute?”

“I think I’m ready. Babe?”

“Yeah, I’d like to get the veggie sandwich.”

“Absolutely, what kind of bread?”

“Oh, um just white I guess.”

“Excellent, and for you?”

“Can I get the short stack? Also, what’s your syrup situation?”

“Like flavors or…”

“No, like delivery method?” Adora’s eyes dance with humor at my answer but she puts on a solemn look. 

“If I’m being honest with you? Abysmal.” Adora cracks a grin at her own joke, and it makes me smile too. For a minute I forget the tension crackling around in the air like static. “We have those dumb little cups that hold like, two and half tablespoons, tops.”

“Dumb.”

Adora laughs, “Yeah.”

“Okay, well can I get extra? Like, four or five of those? Or just a larger container.”

“Sure thing, I’ll see what I can wrestle up.” Adora turns on her heel and walks away.

I turn around again and she’s scowling at me. I feel the smile fall from my face. “So?”

“So…maybe she has a point?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Babe, she brought up _conversion therapy_.”

“If I wanted! It’s not like she’s trying to force me to go.”

“Okay, please tell me you don’t honestly think that is any less fucked up. Those places shouldn’t even be allowed to _exist_.” 

She rubs her hand roughly over her forehead. “You’re right, I know you’re right. But she’s been in the church a long time, she doesn’t know any better.”

“Do you?” I ask sharply.

“ _Excuse me?_ ”

“Well your mom’s been taking you to church your whole life. If that’s the only reason she doesn’t know better you wouldn’t either, right?”

“It’s not the same Catra! Her generation-“

“You know what? I literally cannot listen to this bullshit right now. What did you talk about? What has she convinced you of now?”

There’s a long, pregnant pause before she answers. “I just…going to school like she wants me to, it would afford me a lot of opportunities Catra.” She reaches across the table for my hand. I let her take it but leave it limp on the wooden surface. She pleads at me with her eyes but mine remain hard. “A lot of opportunities for _us_.”

I choke out a laugh. “ _Please_ babe, even you’re not that naïve. You really think she’s gonna pay for you to go to her preppy college if we stay together? You can’t have both.”

She snatches her hand away like I’ve burned it. “I mean, she wouldn’t have to _know_ …”

I narrow my eyes at that, livid she would say such a thing. “So, what? You want me to be your dirty little secret for four years? More than that if mommy gets her way and you go to med school. And I’m supposed to do what exactly? Follow you wherever you go?”

“That’s not what I said! I mean, yeah I’d like if we were in the same place but there’s always long distance.”

“Always long…you’re an idiot. I’m gonna be your secret online girlfriend? Am I suddenly thirteen again? I mean _fuck_ , are you thinking about me _at all_ when you’re deciding to totally change your plans? _Our_ plans.”

“I haven’t _decided_ -“

“Order up!” Adora puts our food down in front of us. I laugh when I see that she’s _filled_ a two cup capacity glass measuring cup with maple syrup. 

“This is amazing.”

“Excellent, that’s exactly what I like to hear. Anything else I can get you guys?”

“We’re fine.” She answers sharply for the both of us. I give Adora an apologetic smile. I’m not sure she catches it but either way she looks unfazed. 

“Perfect, well just holler if you need anything and I’ll check on you in a bit.”

She rolls her eyes again as Adora walks away. “Anyway. I was saying I haven’t made any decisions. I’m just thinking.”

“Yeah, okay well that’s where you’re wrong. You _decided_ to run away with me. That’s how we got here in the first place.”

“What? And I’m not allowed to change my mind?”

“Listen, if you’re trying to break up with me can we just get this over with so I can eat my fucking pancakes?”

“What? Catra I’m not breaking up with you! I _love_ you.”

“But?”

“But nothing! I just…I got freaked out okay? I need a decent night of sleep. I’m sure I’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Fine, whatever. I just wanna eat and go to bed.”

“Fine.” She picks up her toast and pauses with it halfway to her mouth. She’s watching me pour my syrup with distaste and I pay her no mind. “You’re gonna get diabetes.”

I stare her in the eye as I take my first massive bite, drenched in syrup.

## …

The morning feels marginally better. Sleeping on a mattress did seem to have us both in better spirits. We had granola bars from the car for breakfast and got on the road early. We drive in relatively comfortable silence for an hour, then suddenly she bursts into tears. She’s crying too hard to tell me why and I start to panic. Not knowing what else to do I pull off the road and into a gas station parking lot. 

I just hold her until she rides out the worst of it. She pulls back and her face is a mess of tears and snot. She wipes it with the back of her arm and then pulls me in for a searing kiss with no warning at all. Her eyes are blazing with heartbreak when she pulls away again and I know what’s coming. 

We drive back to the town we just left, and I drop her off in front of the library like she asks. She tries to apologize the whole way. She insists this doesn’t have to be then end for us. It does though. It does because I say so. She’s going home again, and I never can. She’s going back into the closet, and I never will.

## …

I go back to the diner for the third night in a row. I can’t afford to do this forever, at least not until I land somewhere and get a job, but I just got my heart broken. I figure I can give myself a pass. 

Some kooky old lady named Razz served me the first night I went on my own. She told me I looked sad and brought me a slice of pie on house. Then she sat down while I ate it and told me a bunch of stories about “my Mara”. Pretty sure that’s her granddaughter but it was really confusing, so I’m not actually sure. 

She’s here again and greets me when I walk in. “There you are dearie! I thought you were going to be late.”

She’s a kook, but I like her hutzpah. “Uh…sorry?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, but sit down dearie. It’s almost time.”

I slide into the booth of the table she’s standing by and pull a menu towards myself out of habit. “Time for what Razz?”

“Never mind. Oh!” The bells chimes from above the door and I turn to look. Adora walks in and smiles warmly at Razz. “Mara dear, there you are!”

Wait, what? “No, it’s Adora tonight, remember Razz? I’m covering so she and Hope can go out.” My ears perk up at them mention of possible lesbians. Maybe Adora really _is_ gay. Not that it matters or anything.

“I know that, don’t you think I know that?” Razz insists. Adora just laughs walking over and smiling when she spots me.

“Of course, Razz. Just making sure. Hey again, welcome back.”

“Oh, hi. Is um…” I cut my eyes over to Razz and then in a low voice ask, “Is she always like this?”

Adora laughs loudly and the sound is nice, unapologetic and comforting. Razz scowls and bops me on the head lightly. “I heard that! Now, how do you know my Mara?”

“Uh, Adora? I was here the other night.”

“Adora yes, who else would I be talking about? Adora, dearie, are you working tonight?”

Adora chuckles. “Yeah Razz. I’m gonna go get my apron on, okay?”

“You do that. And bring this poor girl some coffee.”

“Will do.” She shoots finger guns our way as she backs toward a doorway behind her. I snort at the dorky gesture. 

Razz turns her full attention back to me. I look around and for the first time realize I’m the only customer. I guess it is kinda late, especially for such a small sleepy town. “I have to go get berries for the pie.”

“Okay…”

“Adora will take care of you. Tell her I went out for the berries.” Before I can catch up, she’s just…gone. I’m left staring after her, totally baffled. 

Adora comes back a minute or two later, blessedly burdened with my coffee. “ _Thank you_. Stars, I cannot tell you how much I need this.” I take a few gulps, polishing off nearly half the cup in one go. Adora watches on with a smirk. “Oh, Razz said to tell you she was going out for berries.”

Adora rolls her eyes with a fond smile. “Yeah, that rarely means the same thing twice. Hopefully she’s actually getting berries though. We are like, _super_ low.”

“Right…”

“Anyway, just you tonight?”

My mood darkens instantly, and I feel my jaw set with no power to stop it. “Just me.”

I can feel Adora appraising me and it makes the back of my neck burn. “Cool. Did you know what you want or...?”

I feel my breath whoosh out of me, relieved at what she hasn’t asked. “Uh, yeah. Can I the Belgian waffle and a plate of fries?”

She smirks at my order but doesn’t comment. “You got it.”

I don’t ask but when my food comes, she brings extra syrup. This time she serves it to me in a wine glass.

## …

I’m starting to feel stuck here. I’ve been living in a motel for a week now and it’s getting to me. I don’t want to go to the city I’d planned to start a life in with _her_ , but I don’t know where else to go. So I just…stay. I’ve been better about not eating out but I’m having a crappy morning and I need to buckle down and do some research. 

I take my laptop over to the diner and set myself up in a booth. Adora wanders over a couple minutes later with a cup of coffee in hand. I take it from her gratefully. “Bless you.”

She smiles warmly at me and peeks at my computer. “What are you up to?”

I grunt. “Research.”

“Anything interesting?”

“More stressful than interesting if I’m being honest.” She considers me for a long moment then nods once and walks away. She comes back moments later with two slices of pie. 

“Okay, so you have two options. One; I leave you these two slices of pie, on the house, and you do your research in peace. Two; you only get one slice of pie but to compensate for the other you get my company. So like, if you wanted help with your research or to talk about what’s bothering you…”

I eye her up, curious about her motives. Ultimately though…I like Adora’s vibe. And I haven’t really had anyone to talk to all week. I talked to Lonnie a couple times, but she was busy and full of ‘I told you so’ energy. “You can sit. But aren’t you like…at work?”

“Eh, Bow starts in half hour and it’s the middle of the day. I’m not too worried.” With that she slides in across from me and wastes no time starting her pie. I watch her for a second before digging into my own. The pie here really is out of this world. She wolfs down nearly all of hers before speaking up again. “So…”

I roll my eyes and decide to just rip off the band aid. “So, I got dumped. And now I’m basically stranded here.”

Her eyes cut to me sharply. “She left you here without a car?” Her voice is harsh, angry.

“No!” I find myself eager to reassure her. “No, I’m not like totally stranded. I just…I don’t really want to continue on to the original destination. Home isn’t a great option either. Not really an option at all. So, I just…don’t know where to go.”

“Oh.” She looks at me with a small frown, deflated from her brief bout of anger. “Have you thought about just sticking around here for a while?”

“I mean…I could. But I need a job and a place to live and all that junk. I don’t get the impression this place has a booming economy.”

“Well…no. _But_ I do have a friend who’s looking to hire somebody, and I might have a lead on the place to live thing if you’re open to roommates.”

I blink at her in surprise. “Seriously? You just gonna…like swoop in an solve all my problems? Seems a little…”

“Yeah, no, totally! Sorry I don’t mean to push but the offer’s there. Listen, Catra,” I’m surprised she remembers my name and even more so when she reaches over and takes my hand. I unconsciously grab hers back and weave our fingers together loosely. “You seem really cool and breakups are…the worst. Brightmoon is small and Razz isn’t the only character you’ll meet if you stick around. But there’s a good community here and…I don’t know. Maybe there’s a reason you ended up here.”

“I guess…” At my lack of total denial, she continues. 

“Also, it’s not like you have to stay, right? You can just…rest your bones for a while until you figure out your next move.”

We fall into a comfortable silence while I think about that. She’s not wrong. There’s not any real reason to rush off to some other random city. At least here there’s a couple people who have already showed me kindness. Not to mention a lead on a job and housing. It couldn’t hurt…

“Where did you say your friend works again?”

## …

It’s a fucking flower shop. Never in a million year did I think I’d be going for a job at a fucking _flower_ shop, but here I am. Perfuma, Adora’s friend, is the manager. I get the impression she’s just a couple years older than me. Her parents own the business, so I assume that’s why she’s the manager. She’s nice, kind of hippy dippy but genuine. 

She greets me warmly and pulls me to the back, past another girl talking irises with a customer. She sits me down next to a desk and sits beside me. “Well, honestly since Adora recommended you, you’re as good as hired. I just wanted to meet you myself. Also, if you’ll just sign this so I can run a background check.”

I sign the paper with a scribble, and she beams back at me. “Uh…so you aren’t gonna like, interview me?”

She waves me off. “I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of learning to use the till and memorizing flowers. You can learn to do the more complicated arrangements over time if you’d like but my mom and I do most of those. Most people get pretty simple stuff day to day and we’ll have you working with someone for at least the first few weeks while you get the hang of things.”

“Okay…cool.”

She giggles and I want to be annoyed but I don’t feel patronized like I normally would. “Let’s go introduce you to Mermista.”

She leads me to the front, and we hang by the till while the other employee finishes with their customer. As soon as the bell chimes with their exit she turns to face us. “This the new girl?”

“Yes! Mermista, this is Catra. Catra, Mermista.”

I give her an awkward little wave and she gives me a bored look back. “Cool, nice to meet you or whatever.”

“Uh, yeah. You too.”

“So, like, not to be nosey or whatever, but why the fuck would you move to Brightmoon?”

I feel some of the air leave the room. “Just sort of…landed here I guess.”

She considers me for a long moment, looking slightly less bored. “Yeah, sounds about right. Well it’s stupid here, but it’s chill. Just don’t eat my lunch. The last guy kept eating my lunch.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” She nods, satisfied, and moves on to fuss with a display.

And just like that, I have a job.

## …

I quickly learn that Mermista is _obsessed_ with mystery novels. Most of our shifts together are slow, and since I’m still learning she has me help the majority of people who wander in. She’s there if I have questions but I rarely do; this job is stupidly easy. So, she just sits there and reads, and I sit on my phone in between customers. 

In the middle of my third week we’re locking the door and she holds the book she’s been reading out to me. “This is like, the best one. You should read it or whatever.”

I take it and read the cover, ‘Mer-Mystery; Secret of the Abalone’. “Sure, thanks.”

She shrugs and walks away without another word. 

I take it to the diner that night. I just got my first paycheck so I figure I can swing a slice of pie. I sit down and start thumbing through it when someone I don’t recognize walks up. “Hey welcome in! My name is Bow anything-oh that book is so good!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah I haven’t started it yet.”

“You’ll love it. My friend Mermista got me hooked on that series. ‘Serpent of the Sea’ is my favorite.”

“She actually loaned me this.” I tap the cover of the book. “We work at Plumeria together.”

A look of dawning comprehension takes over his face. “ _Oh_ , you must be Catra. Adora mentioned you.” My heart thuds a little harder that. I wonder what she’s said. “This is actually pretty perfect because she forgot to get your number.” My eyes widen at this; she does realize I like, _just_ got dumped, right? Not that I assume she’s interested, or even want her to be but…. “She said you were looking for a place? My roommate just moved out of state, so I’ve got a spare room.”

That makes more sense. “Right, she mentioned something about that. I’ve just been staying at the Motel 6.”

He pulls a face that perfectly encapsulates how I feel about the situation. “Yeah, we should get you out of there. My shift is up in less than an hour if you want to come check the place out tonight.”

“That would be great.” It’s a little sudden and I sort of feel like I have whip lash, but I am more than ready to get out of that dingy ass motel. 

“Awesome! Can I get you some coffee or anything?”

“Coffee would be great. And I wouldn’t turn down pancakes.”

“You got it!”

I get set up with my food and disappear into the book. It’s actually surprisingly good. I’m a good chunk into it when someone walks up to the side of my table. “You’re back!”

“Oh, hey Adora.”

She scratches at the back of her neck awkwardly. “I heard you met Bow.”

“Yeah, thanks by the way. For setting that up and with Perfuma.”

She waves me off. “Of course, happy to help.” The she just sort of…hovers.

“Did you wanna sit?”

“Huh? Oh! Thanks, but I should actually go clock in. I’m Bow’s relief and I figured I’d send him early so you guys can get going.”

“Cool.” She hovers another second before walking away with a nod. I get a few pages further into my book when I register something being set down on my table. I look at the table only to see a coffee pot half full of syrup. When I look up Adora’s already walked away.

## …

A day later and I’m moving in. The whole process takes about an hour; I don’t exactly have a lot of crap. Luckily Bow has the apartment pretty furnished, but I should probably look into getting a bed. I throw my suitcases and the couple boxes into my new room and wander out to find Bow. He’s stretched out of the couch scrolling through Netflix. 

“Hey, um I was gonna run and get some groceries, you need anything?”

“Nah, I’m set. If you wanna put it off though, I was gonna order us some pizza if you’re into it. A little welcome to the apartment dinner?”

A blanche at the offer. “You really don’t have to…”

“I _want_ to though. No pressure, but the offer’s there.”

“Sure, pizza sounds great.” I sit down beside him, and it all feels…a little awkward. Makes sense, I just moved into a perfect stranger’s home. I’m just not normally so…tentative. I’m sure I’ll settle in, it’s just gonna take time, right?

## …

“Oh my stars Merm! You’re lucky you’re so hot, you’re dumb as a bag of rocks.”

“Wow, okay rude.” I hold the door to the diner open for her and follow her in. “It’s _never_ the butler, there’s no way.”

We’ve been working together for four months now and I’ve learned there are only two ways to get Mermista riled up. The first is to bring up her very obvious crush on Sea Hawk, the delivery guy from Plumeria. The other is to talk Mer-Mysteries. I lead her to a table, and we plop down in the booth. 

“That’s why it’s so genius! They wait twenty books to finally make it the obvious suspect. By that point they’re no longer obvious. Besides, who else could have it been?”

“It’s _obviously_ Countess Pearl! She’s the only one with like, a legit motive?”

“Hey guys…” Adora ventures, looking curiously between us from the edge of the table. “What are we talking about?”

“Mermista here is just getting ready to eat her words.”

Mermista scoffs but a smile breaks through. I literally cannot tell you how proud of that I am. Smiling isn’t really her thing; which I respect. Adora just arches a brow and looks weirdly unimpressed. “Right…”

“Catra thinks she knows more about Mer-Mysteries than me, which is like….so dumb. I’ve been reading those books since _junior high_ , just ask Adora.”

I can feel the grin on my face turn just a little more wicked. “Oh my gosh, stop. Adora, you _have_ to tell me, in vivid detail, how big of a nerd Mermista was as a thirteen-year-old. Fuck, did you have braces? Aw, I bet you looked so cute in your braces!”

“Uh, no. Adora was the brace face.” Mermista looks bored again but there’s a mischievous twinkle in her eye when she turns to Adora, who is now bright red.

“Hey! Don’t bring me into…whatever this is.”

“Just gals being pals.” I supply unhelpfully. Mermista kicks my shit under the table. 

Adora turns impossible redder and gives me a weird look. “Sure, sure. Uh, did you guys want food or are you just here to loiter?”

We place our order and Adora wanders away. I watch her retreat for a second and turn back to Mermista. She’s looking at me like I’m the dumbest this on the planet. “ _What?_ It’s definitely the butler! Remember that scene-“

“So, are you just stupid, or uninterested?”

I scrunch my face up. “Uninterested? Why would I be debating this with you if I was uninterested?”

“Okay, so just stupid then. Anyway, let’s just read so you can tell me I’m right.” Then without another word she opens her book and starts reading. I have no idea what’s just happened, but I follow suit and open my own copy. 

A short while later Adora brings our food out. She sets my pancakes in front of me followed by an obscene amount of syrup served in a small mixing bowl. She walks away looking pleased with herself and Mermista gives me a look I don’t understand. I ignore her in favor of drowning my food in syrup and digging in.

## …

I walk in the door after my shift and flop down on the couch. Work is stupid. Bow’s head pops through the pass-through window into the kitchen. “Welcome home roomie! I was gonna text you, but I forgot. Glimmer and Adora are coming over for dinner and a movie night if you wanna join!”

I waggle my eyebrows at him. “Oh, _Glimmer_ is coming over, huh?”

He scowls at me and his ears turn bright red. “ _And_ Adora.”

“Okay, but there’s no reason for me to tease you about Adora coming over.”

He raises an eyebrow. “No, but maybe that’s a reason for me to be teasing you.”

I furrow my bow, unclear at what he’s getting at. “Uh…nice deflection but I don’t get it.” He rolls his eyes at me. “Are you gonna ask Glimmer out or what?”

“Catra! She’s my best friend, I’m not gonna make it weird because of a silly little crush.”

“I don’t think it counts as a ‘silly little crush’,” I put air quotes around the words to highlight what a dumbass he’s being. “if it lasts nearly twenty years. And frankly this affects me now.”

“I hardly see how.” He fully abandons whatever he’s got going in the kitchen to put his hands on his hips and stare me down.

“Ugh, because I’m the one who has to suffer through your unresolved sexual tension every time she’s over here. Which, need I remind you, is _all the fucking time_.”

“ _What!_ I don’t- _we_ don’t-hush you!” I just cackle at him and stand from the couch. 

“Whatever. I’m gonna go shower and change.” I get halfway down the hall when he calls out to me.

“Hey! Just watch who you’re calling black, pot.”

“But Bow.” I respond innocently. “You _are_ black.” 

He throws a spatula at my head.

## …

“Hey Catra!” Adora greets as I reenter the living room.

“Hey Adora.” I plop next to her on the couch, spreading out so Bow has no choice but to join Glimmer on the loveseat when he emerges from the kitchen. As I sit beside her, I realize; in the last six months, for as big a part as Adora played in my staying here in the first place, this is only the third time we’ve hung out. Not counting the diner, which I don’t because she’s at work and has no choice.

She’s over at the apartment a fair amount (she, Glimmer and Bow call themselves the ‘Best Friend Squad’ which is just…so painfully nerdy) but it’s often while I’m at work. Usually I just see her in passing at most. It’s all kind of unfortunate when I think about it. I owe her kind of a lot for helping me get set up here. It took a while to fully settle in but now that I think about it…I’m actually pretty happy here. In the last six months the hurt and resentment over being left have begun to fade. I’ve made friends and while my job is nothing to brag about, I like it well enough for now. 

Besides, Adora’s…chill. Hot too, but that’s beside the point. I’m distracted from my musings by my phone ringing. Mermista’s name flashes across the screen.

“Sorry, lemme just get this.” Adora smiles and flicks her eyes to the screen. Her expression tightens almost imperceptibly, and she turns to chat with Glimmer. “Well, well, well if it isn’t the love of my life.”

“ _Ughh, can you like, not?_ ”

I laugh loudly. “Hmm, sorry no can do sweet cheeks. Did you call for a reason, or did you just miss me?”

“ _Ew. I did but now you’re being insufferable so maybe I should just like, go._ ”

“Aw, but then I’ll miss you too much. But seriously, what do you need?”

“ _Whatever just like, don’t be annoying about it_.”

“Annoying? _Moi?_ I would never.”

“You’re the worst. Listen, can you switch shifts with me on Friday?”

I can feel my grin stretch wider. Oh yeah, I’m definitely about to be annoying about this. “Aw, Mermmy! You wanna go out on Friday?”

“ _Shut up Catra_.”

“Hm, maybe if you ask nice.”

“ _Can you do it or not?_ ”

“Yeah, yeah. Anything for you my love. Talk about it tomorrow?”

She doesn’t say anything for a long minute and my smirk only grows as the seconds tick by. “ _Fine. But not until after the delivery comes in_.”

I fucking knew it. “Sounds perfect Babe. See you then.”

She hangs up without another word and I chortle to myself. Bow wanders in then and looks at me suspiciously. “Who was that?”

“Mermista, got a hot date Friday night.”

“ _No!_ About damn time, I thought it was never gonna happen.” I laugh, Bow ships Mermista and Sea Hawk so hard. I suspect it’s because he himself has a huge crush on Sea Hawk. If he weren’t so gone for Glimmer, he probably would have made a move. Well that and its obvious Hawk only has eyes for Mermista. Star crossed lovers and all that, I guess. 

“Right? I’ll get deets tomorrow and come home with a report.”

He points a finger in my face. “You better.” With that he turns to his friends and stops short when he sees their faces. It’s strange, Glimmer looks downright betrayed and Adora just looks generally disgruntled. “What?”

“ _Bow!_ ” Glimmer says, completely aghast. She’s so weird and dramatic.

“Uh, yes?” 

Her eyes cut to me and when she looks back at Bow, she rolls her eyes. Like I said, weird. “Whatever, we’ll talk about it later. What are we watching?”

Bow looks positively baffled and I’m right there with him. He makes a suggestion and Glimmer immediately starts a debate. Seriously, the tension between these two is ridiculous. I lean into Adora’s side but pull back slightly when I feel her stiffen. Still, I stay close enough to whisper in her ear. “When they get like this you ever which they’d just end the argument by making out? You know, just get it over with already.”

She turns sharply to look at me, her face colored with disbelief. When she sees my expression, just a shade from laughing outright, she lets a grin of her own escape. “Honestly? Sometimes I think about just…pushing them together. Just low key parent trapping them.”

That gets a loud laugh out of me. “How are they so oblivious?”

Adora shrugs. “Honestly, they’ve always been like this. I didn’t move here until fifth grade but the two of them have been friends since diapers. I think that’s part of the problem; they’ve been too close to the situation for too long to be objective in any sense.”

“Hmm, makes sense I guess.” The oven timer goes off but Bow and Glimmer’s discussion has grown heated. They remain unaware of Adora and I talking about them. “Guess I’m getting that.”

Adora pulls a face. “You can’t leave me out here with them! I’ll help you dish up.”

She follows me into the kitchen, and I pull the lasagna out of the oven. Adora looks at it in disbelief. “Bow made this?”

I bark out a laugh. “Absolutely not. You know, he tried to make me dinner for our one month ‘roommate-aversary’? That’s the last time I let him do anything of significance in this kitchen.” I reconsider that for a moment. “His pancakes are actually really good though. But no, I made this yesterday and he just threw it in the oven.”

Adora blinks at me a couple times. “It smells amazing.” I can feel my cheeks pinken slightly and shrug it and her compliment off. 

“It’s whatever. I think we have a salad kit kicking around the fridge. Wanna plate this up and I’ll throw it together?” She agrees and we quickly get dinner ready. We each take two plates out to the living room where we find Bow and Glimmer settled in front of the TV. A movie is already queued up.

Before Adora leaves that night, she takes my phone and puts her number in it. “You know, in case you ever need a break from the wonder twins’ antics or something.”

I eye her as she follows Glimmer out to the car and close the door softly behind them. Bow and I don’t make much conversation while we clean up, both lost in our thoughts.

## …

Mermista and Sea Hawk go on not one, not two, but _six_ dates in just a month. She’s clearly head over heels but he’s the only one letting himself act smitten. Every time he makes a delivery, he singles out one flower and presents it dramatically to her. We agree; it’s stupid but sort of charming. Well, we agree it’s stupid and when I say it’s also sort of charming Mermista grunts but doesn’t fight me on it. 

She’s stocking a display of roses while I try and make some sense of the ribbon drawer and get details about their latest date. “So…when are you gonna invite him back to your place?”

She turns to me and looks sufficiently scandalized. “ _Catra!_ ”

“ _What?_ Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it.”

She grunts and I grin with my victory. “Whatever. When he earns it I guess.”

“Sounds fair. Though I don’t know how any man could ever be deserving of you, my love.”

A scoff sounds from the doorway, I didn’t even hear the bell, and there _she_ stands. “Wow, that didn’t take you long, did it Kitty?”

I growl and stand from my stool, rounding the counter. I see Mermista in my peripheral, eyes wide and mouthing some question. I ignore her. “You have a lotta nerve showing up here.”

“Well I _thought_ you’d want to see me.”

I scoff. “Well you thought wrong.”

Her expression softens ever so slightly, and I see a hint of the girl I’d loved. “Is it really gonna be like that Catra?”

I laugh and the sound is harsh in my ears. “Is it really gonna…where does mommy dearest think you are anyway?”

She has the decency to look ashamed when she answers. “The girls and I are on a road trip, I asked them to detour. Lonnie said she heard from you a few months ago and you hadn’t left yet. I thought maybe…”

I can see right through her and she looks ridiculous. “What? You thought I was waiting her for you? Just pining away in case you decided to come back for me.”

“Well…”

“This is…you’re unbelievable.” I see her wince as we both remember when I used to say that in a good way. “And I’m at work, so you need to leave.”

“Catra, no, please. Can we just talk?”

I stare at her with my jaw set. The clock ticks in the background, marking the time. “Not here. I’m at work. If you _and the girls_ can wait around, I’ll be off at six. Meet me here and we can talk then.”

I can tell she wants to argue; she’s used to getting her own way after all. Something in my eyes must convince her not to though. She just nods and walks out the door without another word. The clock continues to mark time. A minute goes by before either Mermista or I move.

“Well…that was weird.” I scoff and return to my stool. Mermista comes to stand in front of me on the other side of the counter. “Wanna raid Fuma’s stash?”

My eyes widen as I try and decide if she’s serious. She is and that’s exactly what we do. We find Perfuma’s baggie of pot in the desk drawer and smoke in the office with the window open, eyes on the security camera monitors so we know if anyone comes in. Blessedly they don’t. When we’re sufficiently stoned, we wander back to the front and lounge around behind the counter. 

“So…you wanna talk about it?” 

I shrug. “She’s a bitch.”

Mermista nods. “Clearly.” She waits a moment then adds. “So, she’s how you ended up here then?”

I scoff. “In a roundabout way, sure. Or the reason I almost didn’t.” I shrug again. “Always two ways to look at things, right?”

“What happened?”

I sigh, exhaling all the pain and hurt that remains from what she did to me. “We were in love; her mom is a bitch too and didn’t approve and so we ran away. We got about halfway and her mom convinced her to go home again. I dropped her off at the library seven months ago and haven’t heard from her since.”

Mermista’s eyes widen in an unprecedented display of emotion; shock and anger. “She didn’t even try and reach out?” I shake my head. That had honestly hurt worse than her deciding to go back. Scared I understood. Uncaring? Not so much. “Damn, that’s cold. What do you think she’s doing back here?”

“Honestly? I don’t really know. Curiosity maybe?”

Mermista hums and nods then a thought seems to occur to her. “You said you ran away…Catra, how old are you? You’re not like…”

“I’m not a minor, and neither is she anymore. She was seventeen still when we left though, and it was a week after my eighteenth birthday.”

“Oh. I thought you were like…early twenties, but maybe that’s just because I am.” That startles me, I’d just kind of assumed we were closer to the same age. Guess we’d both done the same thing. Makes sense though, I know Bow is a couple years older than I am. Does that mean Adora’s older too? The thought surprises me and I suppress it. 

“Nope.” I pop the p and the sound makes me giggle. Mermista smiles at me and it’s uncharacteristically soft. 

“You gonna actually talk to her?”

“I guess. I’m basically over it. I mean, I’m still pissed as hell at her, but it doesn’t hurt so bad. Helps that she came after I settled in.” Mermista nods.

“You need anything?” I smile at her, lazy and wide. 

“Nah…. Maybe just to bitch about it tomorrow.”

“You got a deal.”

## …

She’s waiting by the door when we lock up for the night. I nod toward the park with my head and she follows me. We walk in silence for a while until I finally stop in the middle of the path to look at her. “What are you really doing here?”

She huffs indignantly. “It is really so impossible that I just wanted to see you.”

“Not impossible but considering you didn’t so much as text me once it seems pretty improbable.”

“Don’t be like that! You broke my heart Catra.”

“ _I_ did? You were the one that left!” I’m already fuming, how did I never see what a self-centered, spoiled brat she is?

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to end it! I _told_ you-“

“And I told you! You don’t get to have your cake and eat it too, that’s not how it works. You can’t just _use_ people, ask them to fit themselves into the spaces in your life where they fit comfortably for you at the expense of their personhood!”

“That’s not what I was doing.” He voice is raising, and I glare at her. 

“You asked me to closet myself for you so that you could go to your fancy college and make your mom happy. You didn’t even think about whether or not _I’d_ be happy.”

“Well excuse me for thinking you could be happy because we were together.” I laugh humorlessly and throw my hands up, resuming walking. She follows a half a step behind.

“You’re so fucking conceited and naïve, fuck. One person can’t be your whole life babe, that isn’t healthy.”

“What and you couldn’t make a life in Cambridge? You seem to have managed in this shithole.”

“Fuck you! My home isn’t a shithole.”

Her voice breaks on her response. “ _Home?_ This isn’t your home Catra.”

“You don’t get a say in that, not anymore. And that place, the place you went back to? That was _never_ my home. I thought you understood that about me. Then again I’m starting to realize our relationship was never really about _who_ I was so much as it was about _what_ I was.”

Now it’s her turn to laugh darkly. “Oh? And what’s that?”

I shrug, turning halfway to look at her. “A lesbian. Just like you.”

“I-I’m _not_ …”

“You fell in love with a woman babe, it’s that or you’re bi or something. Either way, straight people don’t do the things you and I did.”

I can tell she’s blushing without even looking at her. “That’s not really the point Catra.”

We’ve reached the edge of the park and I stop to face her again. I notice idly that I’ve unconsciously led us the entrance that spits out by the diner. Fucking good; I deserve a slice of pie after this conversation. “Well then what is the point? Clearly nothing’s changed so I’m not really sure what you came back for.”

Her eyes get misty and I find myself unmoved. “I just…I missed you Catra.”

“Yeah, well you’ve got a funny way of showing it.”

“Don’t be mean.”

“I’m not being mean.” A few tears escape her eyes and I just…I don’t fucking care. I just want her to leave, to get out of my city and away from me. 

“What do you want me to say Catra?”

“I don’t want anything from you. You’re the one who showed up at my work, not the other way around.”

“I can’t believe you work at a flower shop.” She chuckles wetly.

“Yeah, well.”

“You didn’t even want to try and go to school?”

“Gah, you’re such an elitist prick sometimes. I got my GED and I’m taking some time to get my bearings before I decide what to do next. But no, I don’t need a fancy degree to feel good about myself.” She winces at the dig and I get a sense of satisfaction from that. 

“Well I…I hope you’re happy Catra.”

I laugh again and this time the sound is much lighter. “You know what? I really am. As much as I’m pissed at you for what you did, I can at least thank you for dumping my ass in Brightmoon. I ended up in the right place.”

She eyes me. “Hmm, and with the right people apparently.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

She scoffs. “That girl? At the flower shop?”

“Mermista? She has a boyfriend you idiot. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Oh. So, are you? Seeing anyone?”

“Are you?” She blushes bright red and I…I can’t believe that I can’t believe it. “Who?”

“It-It’s not…” I just wait patiently, not really caring but morbidly curious. She huffs and looks me dead in the eye. “You know my mom’s friend Sharon?”

“Sure.” She just keeps staring at me and realization dawns like a bag of bricks. “Oh you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me. You’re dating the _pastor’s son_? That’s…ugh, it’s so cliché it hurts. I bet your mom is thrilled. He manage to turn you back yet?”

“You’re being mean again Catra!”

“You know what? I’ll give you that one. You’re right and I’m sorry.” I take her hands gently in mine. “Babe, no matter what they tell you; you _don’t_ deserve to hide. The closet is no place for anyone and I’m sorry it’s where you feel you need to be right now. I hope…I hope you find better for yourself; I truly do. But right now…I have to go.”

I drop her hands and walk away. She calls after me and I can hear her crying, but I can’t support her through this. She chose her side, and I choose to live in the light.

## …

Razz finds me leaning against the cool brick of the diner, cooling off before I go inside. “What are you doing out here Mara dearie?”

I squint at her. I still haven’t met this Mara she keeps talking about. “It’s Catra, Razz.”

“I know that! You think I don’t know that? Mara is _inside_.” Huh, that probably means Adora is working. “What’s the matter with you?”

“I-nothing Razz. I just…ran into an old friend. It was kind of painful.”

I feel the rest of the energy leave my body and when I droop Razz is there to scoop me into a hug. She holds me tight and the embrace is so comforting, I feel a few tears escape me. I’m not heartbroken for me anymore, but I realize as I sag against this old woman, I still am for _her_ ; for the life she’s stuck living. By her own design, yes, but it’s still tragic. 

Razz just holds me and pats my back until I calm. Then, without a word, I let her lead me inside. We pass Adora who’s helping a family at one of the first tables. I see her look at us curiously as we pass by. Razz forces me into a seat at the counter and wags a finger in my face, silently telling me to stay put. 

Adora must wonder up behind me because suddenly Razz is barking, “Mara! Get this girl some pie! I have to go get berries for the pie.”

Adora just laughs. “Okay Razz, be safe.” Razz just sniffs and marches right back out the door. 

Adora circles the counter and pours me a cup of coffee without being asked. “Hey you.”

“Hey Adora.”

She busies herself with getting pie on a plate and asks, “How’s your night?”

“Kinda weird truth be told.”

“Hmm.” She set the plate in front of me and sets her elbows on the counter, propping her head up. “How so?”

I bite my lip, hesitating. Fuck it, I decide. It would be kinda nice to talk about it, it barely feels real right now. “You remember the first night I came in here? I was with a girl.” She nods, scowling slightly now. “She showed up at Plumeria.” She gasps, it’s quiet and low but I hear it all the same. 

“Sorry, that was…how are you?”

I shrug one shoulder and drink my coffee. “Weird but fine.”

“You were working with Mermista today, right?”

Now it’s my turn to scowl. “Uh, yeah?”

“Was that weird for her?”

“For my ex? I mean it shouldn’t have been but actually, yeah.” I laugh. “She actually thought we were dating if you can believe it.”

“Wait, what?” She looks totally bewildered and I laugh again, louder this time.

“I know right? It’s like she was looking for a reason to be jealous.”

“No, sorry, what I mean is; you’re _not_ dating?”

“ _What?_ No! You know she’s like…madly in love with Sea Hawk, right?”

“Uh, no I absolutely did not know that. You guys flirt like, _all the time_!”

“Well yeah, I mean I flirt with her because she’s hot and it’s funny. There’s nothing to it though, I just like riling her up.”

“Sounds like there’s something to it.” Adora murmurs, surly.

I give her a look that’s half amused and half concerned. “Well there isn’t. And it’s not like she flirts back. Just sort of…lets me.”

She eyes me and after a moment of inspection looks sufficiently mollified. In fact, she looks kind of…pleased. “So then…why did your ex show up tonight?”

“Honestly I still don’t know. She said she was on a road trip and came through to see me, said she missed me. She also tried to give me crap about my life while telling me she’s now dating some idiot dude from our hometown. So, I’m not really sure what she was after, but I doubt she got it.”

Adora blinks at me. “Wow, that’s…a lot. Must have opened up some old wounds.”

“Eh, yes and no. She broke my heart, but time pretty much healed that. Now I’m just…I feel like a fool for ever thinking we could run away and live a life together when she never really made it out of the closet to begin with. And I’m just...so sad for her as a queer person. Her life is never gonna let her live openly and she’s too afraid to change it.”

“That’s…hard, that’s really hard.” She takes my hand and I unconsciously weave our fingers together. I look up from my coffee cup. “For both of you.”

I gulp, swallowing the emotion rising in my throat. “Yeah.” I study her a moment. I don’t mean to ask but I have been wondering, pretty much since the moment I saw her, “Adora, you’re gay, right?”

Her eyes widen and she blushes. Her hand squeezes mine absently. “Oh, uh yeah. I am, yes.”

I nod, a smirk creeping across my face. “That’s good.” She smiles hesitantly back and gives my fingers a gentle squeeze. After a couple minutes of comfortable silence and eye contact, she gives my hand one more squeeze and drifts off to check on other customers. 

I feel much better than I did walking in.

## …

A couple months later I’m back at the counter, Adora across from me once more. It’s August, hot and sweltering, so I’ve switched to iced coffee after much persuading from my server. And friend, I guess we’re friends now. We hang out outside of the diner sometimes at least. 

“Come on Catra, you _have_ to get in the water! That’s the whole point of floating the river.”

“Nu-uh, no way. But good to know you’re trying to kill me. There are easier ways though you know. Like not to give you any ideas but you do make my coffee.”

She rolls her eyes at my antics. “I don’t see how trying to make sure you have a good time makes me a murderer, but okay.”

“Psh, I don’t see how getting soggy is a good time.”

“I’m sorry, but who came in here bitching about how hot it is outside?”

I scowl at her, but she just smirks back. Finally, I grit out the truth. “ _I can’t swim_.”

Her brow furrows. “What was that?”

I can tell by her expression that she isn’t just fucking with me, so I repeat myself, a little louder this time. “I _said_ , I can’t fucking _swim_.”

Her mouth moves to form a small ‘o’. It’s embarrassing. And cute. And embarrassing that I find it so cute. “Yeah, you should probably learn how to do that at some point. But you won’t drown in the river. The part we’re going to only goes up to like, my shoulder.”

I eye her up and down. “Okay, but you realize you’re like…a giantess, right?”

“Pft, hardly.”

“Well you’ve got a solid six inches on me, so same difference.”

She eyes me up and down right back and I notice that they linger, her eyes trailing slowly. It makes heat creep up my neck and I curse her for it. “How tall are you?”

“Like 5’2”.” She blinks at me in shock and then bursts out laughing, just absolutely howling. “ _What?_ ”

She settles and looks at me with a look so smug I want to kiss it. Smack it I mean, definitely that one. Or both, both is good too. I’ve been struggling lately with just how hot Adora is. “Yeah, I have a little more than six inches on you. Try like ten. But don’t worry, me and my ten inches will take great care of you.”

I blanche for a second. Okay, she did _not_ just…but she did though. She did and she still looks so smug, but not like she realizes what she’s done. I scramble quickly trying to decide what to do with this information. “Wow…you really think I can handle _all_ ten inches? That’s a lotta woman, even for me Adora.”

She looks briefly confused and then her eyes widen in horror. She blushes furiously and I can’t help but laugh at her. She waits for me to settle, just watching me. By the time my laughter fades so has her embarrassment and she’s just looking at me. I stare back at her and a smile spreads slowly across her face, the move just a little bit sinister. 

“Tell you what Catra, we’ll go slow, and you just tell me when you tap out. After all, communication is key.”

I end up getting in the damn river.

## …

Perfuma hosts an end of summer barbeque for the Plumeria staff. Of course, there’s literally four of us on the team so it just ends up being a party for the larger friend group. I’m finally getting to meet Perfuma’s partner and she is…more than a little extra.

She practically shakes my arm off when she greets me and talks a mile a minute. “Oh wow! You must be Catra, I can’t _believe_ we haven’t met yet! I keep meaning to swing by the shop, but you know how it is; busy, busy, busy! Catra, you know, that’s a good name. Do you have any nicknames? Oh! Can I call you Wildcat? I think it suits you, I’m gonna call you Wildcat.”

She finally pauses to catch her breath and I just stare back, wide eyed. “Uh…Scorpia? What’d you do to Catra?” I look over to find Adora wandering over, a plate piled high with watermelon in her hands. 

“Who, Wildcat? We’re just getting to know each other!” Her enthusiasm baffles me quite frankly.

Adora smirks at me. “Wildcat?”

“Don’t you fucking dare Adora.”

“Aw.” She pretends to pout. “But it’s cute.”

“I am not cute! That’s so condescending.”

She steps closer, closer than is probably polite, especially with another person standing right there. “Hm, hate to disagree, but…”

“You do not.”

“That’s true; I don’t.” I scoff at her but can’t fight my smile. She falls back a step or two when she sees that she’s won. I find myself wishing I had a better poker face just so she wouldn’t. The thought alone makes me blush, hopefully I can pin that on the sun though. 

I look back to Scorpia and her eyes are darting back and forth between us. I don’t like the look on her face. “So…anyway, Catra what brought you to Brightmoon? We don’t see a whole lotta transplants.”

I shrug casually, this question is much easier to answer after nearly a year. “A girl.”

“Oh.” She frowns and her eyes flick briefly to Adora. “Is she…here?”

“Pff, no. I got dumped in the middle of a road trip.”

“’A road trip’” Adora quotes with a laugh, then she looks to Scorpia. “Our girl here is a teenaged runaway.”

Scorpia’s eyes widen and mine roll. “Shut up, you make it sound so dramatic.”

“Wasn’t it though?”

I laugh at her and shove her lightly away from me. She barely budges. “Shut up, you’re giving Scorpia the wrong idea. I’m not some sixteen-year-old dumbass hiding from the cops. I’m an _adult_ thank you very much.” I swear I see Scorpia sag with relief.

“A teenaged adult.” Adora clarifies unnecessarily.

“Oh for fuck’s… _anyway_ , Dora here introduced me to Fuma and Bow so.” I cut myself off with another shrug and a _‘what are you gonna do?’_ look. Then I take a slice of watermelon from Adora’s plate and stick my tongue out when she narrows her eyes at me.

“Aw, did Bow come today? I haven’t seen him in _forever_.” 

“Uh, yeah. I think I saw him causing a ruckus with Sea Hawk out front a little bit ago.”

“Oh, Bow _and_ Sea Hawk? I should go say hi, but Wildcat let’s hang out sometime! I’ll have Perfuma get you my number!” And just as fast as she appeared, she’s gone. 

“Wow so she’s…”

“A lot, yeah. Every time too. But sweet as a peach.”

“Wow, that’s about the most small town charm bullshit I think I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Aw, Catra! You think I’m charming?”

I eye her, my instinct is to deny it and give her crap, but I expect there’s a way I can have even more fun. “Hm…in your way.”

She snorts. “In _‘my way’_? What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you’re a pain in my ass but weirdly I kinda like it.”

“Wow, teenagers are such a _pain_.”

“Would you just! Ugh, you’re the worst. How old even are you? How do I not know this? You act like you’re some decrepit old lady with years of wisdom on me.”

“I mean the last part is true.”

“Ha! Hardly.”

“Hey, didn’t you say you moved here right after your birthday?”

I blink in confusion at the abrupt change in conversation. “Uhh…yes? So?”

“So, you’ve been here ten months. Isn’t it almost your birthday?”

I can feel myself turning bright red. “No!” She looks at me doubtfully. “Nuh-uh, I saw you fools on Bow’s birthday. I don’t need that kind of hoopla. I don’t even _have_ a birthday. I just age on a different, random day each fall. Even _I_ don’t know when it’s gonna be.”

“Okay, well now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“Shut up! You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m rubber, you’re glue…” She starts to sing song, but I cut her off.

“I’m leaving.” And I do, walking toward the table with all the food and drinks. She just follows behind me, laughing. I grab a hard cider and it’s snatched out of my hands just as soon as I have it open. I look up into Adora stupid, smug face which is twisted into a caricature of horror.

“ _Catra!_ ” She gasps. “You are _underage_.” She tsks at me and then to my utter disbelief I watch as she chugs the entire bottle in one go. The entire. Bottle. She tosses the empty bottle into a bin set aside for recycling with a frankly impressive burp.

“Wow, you’re the literal worst.” I pick up another drink and open it, daring her with my eyes to try and take this one. Her eyes sparkle with humor and mischief but she doesn’t say shit.

“You like it.”

“Heaven help me I do.” Her responding smile is brighter than the sun.

## …

I go to the diner after a shift one day and startle when I hear a crashing from the alley. All of my better instincts tell me to go inside, ignore it. I was never very good at listening to my instincts. Of course, if I had I may never have ended up in Brightmoon so maybe they aren’t worth listening to in the first place.

It’s with that thought that I venture into the alley. I don’t see anything at first glance, just empty boxes and dumpsters. I walk a little further in and still see nothing. Maybe it was just trash shuffling around then. I hesitate, ready to turn back, when I hear it; the worlds tiniest cry. It makes my heart stop and every nurturing instinct I have turn up to eleven. 

I start searching and before I know it, I’m on my hands and knees in this stupid alley, looking under dumpsters. I still don’t see anything and whatever made that noise, _who_ ever made that noise, isn’t offering anymore clues. I stand and brush my knees off, doing a final survey of the area. Then I spot it, an upturned box to the left of the recycle dumpster. 

I lift it gently and underneath is a sad, scrawny little kitten. It mews pathetically at me and I scoop it up without hesitation. I have it cradled to my chest and…now what? I sort of hesitate for a second until the little dude mewls again and then I’m circling the building. I don’t exactly think I can take this cat inside, so I hover in front of the door until I see Adora wander into the front of house. 

I stick my head inside the door, keeping the kitten clutched to my chest just outside of it, and grab her attention. “ _Psst!_ ”

She looks up and gives me an amused, albeit bewildered, look. “Catra? Are you…gonna come inside?”

“Uh…can you come outside instead?” There are no other customers so I don’t think it should be a problem.

She gives the restaurant a brief survey and they looks back to raise an eyebrow at me. “Sure…” Then she walks closer and joins me outside when I step out of the way. She’s oblivious as all hell so she just looks at me expectantly. “So…”

I end up not having to explain because the little gremlin in my arms makes their own presence known. “Got any milk or whatever? Tuna maybe?”

Adora looks at the kitten with wide eyes and then up to me. The expression makes me giggle. She nods emphatically and disappears back inside. And just like that, I have my first ever pet.

## …

Scorpia is altogether too much. And _apparently_ that’s just what I’m into now, because frankly I could describe most of my friends in this town that way. Maybe not Mermista, but even she has her moments. But they’re more kind, genuine and open than my friends from…home? It doesn’t feel right to call it that. It never really did but especially not now.

Every time Scorpia and I hang out she refers to it as a date. First they were ‘friend dates’ then after a couple they were ‘super pal duo dates’. I want to hate it so bad but…it does make me feel kind of accepted. Loved. Blech, when did I get so mushy? Weaver would be horrified if she saw me now. Though honestly that’s reason enough to continue down the path I’m on. 

Tonight, Scorpia dragged me to the only nice restaurant in town. I tried to protest, tell her maybe this was a date better suited for her _girlfriend_. She literally laughed in my face and practically shoved me in the door. It was pretty fun, pretending to be bougie for a night. What wasn’t fun were the obscenely small portions.

We walk out after a couple hours and though we’ve just finished five courses I hear her stomach grumble. She looks abashed but I just laugh. “Wanna go get some real food?”

Relief floods her face. “I do! Yes. Would you wanna go to the diner?”

“S-Sure.” I don’t understand my own hesitation or why my stomach flips when she asks. I choose to ignore both. 

We roll up fifteen minutes later or so and seat ourselves at a booth. It’s actually kind of busy for once, but I guess I don’t normally come at actual meal times. Still, even with so many other tables filled Bow wanders over pretty quickly.

“Hey guys! I thought you were going out for fancy meal.”

Scorpia looks a little embarrassed but I just laugh lightly. “Yeah, more like fancy snack. It was good as hell but like, two bites per plate.”

Bow laughs right along with me. “Gotcha, well what can I getcha?”

Scorpia orders a french dip and I go for a short stack, Bow brings coffee and waters over and goes to put in our order. I curse lightly under my breath as he walks away and Scorpia looks at me questioningly. 

“Meh, I just forgot to ask for extra syrup. I’ll ask him when he comes back.” I feel a little guilty planning to ask him to make an extra trip while it’s so busy. On the other hand, I’m not trying to eat dry pancakes. 

Scorpia chuckles at me and we move onto other topics. She tells me about the plans she and Perfuma have for the garden. They don’t officially live together but so far as I can tell they might as well. My eyes widen when Bow comes back with our food. He sets our plates in front of us and, barely suppressing his giggles, he gives me a _saucepan_ of syrup.

I look up at him with wide, questioning eyes and he tucks his tray under his arms to raise his hands defensively. “Hey, don’t look at me. Adora’s filling in for someone in back of house today. She said you’d want it.”

I feel myself blush furiously and stare at the pan to avoid looking at either of my companions. “That…is a lot of syrup.” Scorpia points out unnecessarily. I roll my eyes, still studiously avoiding looking at them.

“Alright, well holler if you need anything…more syrup perhaps.” Bow just laughs at the death glare I send his way and backs away from the table. 

I set to dressing my pancakes, using a spoon off the table to ladle syrup out of the pan. I just know it’ll go everywhere if I try to pour it. I take a few bites and when I look at Scorpia I realize she hasn’t touched her food. “What?” I mumble around a mouth full of carbs.

“So, Adora.” I scowl at her. “She’s a pretty cool lady.”

“Yeah, and your point?”

“Well…do _you_ think she’s cool?”

“I mean we’re friends… but no. I think she’s a total nerd.” I tell her in all seriousness. This just makes Scorpia smile knowingly at me. “I think you’re a fucking nerd too, just for the record.”

“So, you _aren’t_ interested?”

I slam my fork down onto my plate. The sound doesn’t even make Scorpia jump but I see some kid at the next table do so from my periphery. “Excuse me?”

“Just thought I picked up on some…chemistry.”

“Chemistry?” I ask doubtfully. Scorpia looks pointedly at the small vat of syrup that sits between us. “What, because Adora thinks she’s funny?”

“I think Adora’s funny too.” Scorpia point out fairly, I just grunt in response. I am _really_ not into this conversation. I’ve never exactly been one to talk about my feelings, even if I have started to go a little mushy and soft.

“Why do you even give a shit if I’m interested?”

She shrugs. “Adora’s been my friend a long time. Now we’re friends. I like to see my friends happy.”

I narrow my eyes, inspecting her face. “Did Adora say something to you?”

She goes bright red, clearly flustered. I get a sort of non-denial out of her before she abruptly changes the subject. That pretty much tells me all I need to know. I don’t push it, curious as I am.

## …

It’s my birthday today. It is my birthday and I am…terrified. My friends got far too excited when Adora snuck into my wallet and figured the date out. Then they got even _more_ excited when I said I would permit a _very small_ celebration. They agreed but I’m not sure I trust their definition of very small.

Bow had seemed prepared to let me help plan something small at the apartment. But _oh no_ , heaven forbid. Adora had to swoop in and demand it be a surprise. Naturally Bow had glommed onto the idea so here we are. All I’d been told was that I needed to be awake by five. Five A.M.. On my fucking birthday. 

I’m lying in bed now, snuggling into Melog, wondering how long I can possibly postpone my fate. They’ve filled out quickly, proving to be a voracious eater. We also quickly found out that they are in no way above stealing any snack that suits them if left unattended. Sneaky little bastard. I’ve never loved anyone more, and they’re so fluffy they make the world’s best pillow

Apparently, we don’t have very long to snuggle. Before I’ve even woken up fully there’s an obnoxious pounding at my door. I grunt and get up, shuffling to the door. I expect to see Bow on the other side, y’know since it’s the middle of the night and he’s the only other person who lives here. Instead I find a startlingly perky Adora there.

“Yes?”

“Ooh, not an early riser I see?” I scowl at her. “Got it. Well that’s okay, you can sleep in the car!” She leans around me to coo at the kitten now stretched across my pillows. “Hi Melog, happy your mom’s birthday.”

I huff and lean against the doorframe. “The car?”

“Yeah, your surprise is a little way away.” I just stare at her, too tired to process her words. “Okay, so you get dressed. Think warm but comfortable enough to be in the car for a few hours.”

“A _few hours_?” I verify incredulously. She just nods eagerly, then leans in to kiss my cheek before scurrying away toward the kitchen. 

It’s not the first time she’s done that; kiss my cheek. I mean, it’s not like she’s does it all the time or anything. She sort of did it once a month or so ago and picked it up as an occasional habit. I can’t even pretend to hate it, as much as I kind of want to. It just…it fucking stops my heart every time and makes me wonder what would happen if I turned my head just a bit at the last second. 

I might have a small, begrudging crush on Adora. She might have one on me. I don’t know. I haven’t decided what I want to do about it, so I’ve just been ignoring it. It’s working just fine for now, thank you very much. Mermista’s picked up on it though. She tried to give me crap about it at work one day, but I shut that down pretty quickly. Just asked her how her boyfriend was doing, and she snapped that she doesn’t have one and clammed right up. 

When my heart finally starts going again, I turn into my room to put clothes on. I emerge from my room with the cat in my arms to find Bow, Glimmer and Adora hanging out in the kitchen. 

“Morning birthday girl!” Glimmer enthuses, shoving a glass of OJ into my hands. I’m still sleepy so I just sort of…scowl at it. 

“For the record,” Adora pipes up with a teasing smirk, taking Melog from me to snuggle them herself. “I still don’t approve.”

I furrow my brow as I look up at her and then scowl at my glass again. “Of orange juice?”

Everyone laughs at me and I scowl harder. I take a drink and, _ohh_. So, not _just_ orange juice then. “I made pancakes!” Bow trills, nodding to a plate on the counter. I grumble something like a thank you as I pick it up and listen to the three of them chat while I eat, standing in the middle of the kitchen. 

They eventually eat also and then I’m soon ushered out the front door. I slide into the back of Bow’s car with Adora beside me and unconsciously lean my head on her shoulder. I’m more awake after food but relaxed from the three mimosas I’d been given. “So…where are we going?”

Adora leans her own head on top of mine and I can practically hear the smirk in her voice. “You do understand what a surprise is, right?” 

I snort in response and give up talking from there. I choose instead to close my eyes and drift off for a little more sleep. 

I wake up some time later, it’s brighter outside the car and at least one person has opened their door. The air in the car is cooler and the first thing I really register is that it smells different; fresher almost…salty. That makes me blink the sleep from my eyes and look out the window. The second thing I notice is that we’re at the beach. My birthday is in _October_ , why the hell are we at the beach?

I look over to see Adora watching me in anticipation. I register that Bow and Glimmer have exited and seem to be talking by the trunk of the car. “Do you know where we are?” Adora asks without preamble.

“Uhh…the beach.”

“Mhmm, do you know where though?” I shake my head slowly and she smiles, beyond excited, and points out the window. “That’s the ocean.”

I feel my eyes stretch open wide and I’m out of the car before she can even take another breath. I breeze past Bow and Glimmer and sprint to the edge of the water. I get there and just…breath, taking it in. I can’t believe they brought me here. I can’t believe she brought me here. 

I had mentioned off handedly _months_ ago that the one thing that still got me about my journey getting cut short all those months ago was that I never made it to the ocean. Where I’d come from was dry and land locked. Brightmoon is still far and away from that; the river is huge and there’s a small lake just outside of town too. But _the ocean_ , that had always represented freedom to me, a way to know I’d really escaped and that there was a whole world waiting out there. It’s why my ex and I had chosen our original destination in the first place.

I’d thought about driving myself out, but the drive was like, three hours and it just…never happened. I’d also thought about still moving somewhere near the ocean, but the appeal of a certain job and community had made staying in Brightmoon an easy choice. But still I dreamed of making it here one day, and here I am. 

I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around me from behind and Adora rests her chin on my shoulder. She waits a couple seconds before she asks, “Is this okay?” I just nod silently, still in awe of the distant horizon. It’s so far away it feels unreachable. I suppose it kind of is. She squeezes me once and I relax back into her arms.

“Thank you.” I whisper eventually, hoping she can hear the gravity of what she’s done for me in those words. If the way she nuzzles her nose into my hair is any indication, I think she can.

## …

The ocean changed things and yet everything is obnoxiously the same. A couple weeks after I go to the diner when I know Adora is working and sit myself at the counter. She’s on the diner’s phone when I sit down and smiles warmly at me from across the room. I watch her talk and then hang up. She stops to grab a coffee pot and wastes no time pouring me a cup.

“Hey Catra.”

“I think we should date.”

She overfills my mug. “Shit! Fuck, sorry, shit! Hang on.”

I watch her get a towel and clean up her mess, completely flustered. I honestly have no idea what my face is doing during all of this. My emotions war somewhere between amused, frustrated and, weirdly, totally charmed. She gets all the coffee moped up and gets me a new mug which she fills, keeping one hundred percent of her attention on the task. Once it’s full she pushes it toward me with a shy look.

“Thanks.”

“Course. So…you were saying?”

I arch an eyebrow at her fishing. “I was.”

She smiles in good humor. “You sure you wanna date a mess like me?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay then.”

“Good.”

“ _Great_.”

## …

I pick her up in my car and…she takes my breath away. It’s not like she’s all that gussied up but still. There’s something about knowing she left her hair down for _me_ , that she’s wearing a top I’ve never seen her in for _me_ , that all of this is for _our_ date. I’m also like…really nervous. I had lied to everyone about that; Bow, Mermista, Scorpia just…everyone. The truth is, this is kind of my first real date. 

Sure, I’d run away with some dumb girl I thought I was in love with. Hell, we’d been ready to start a life together. But for having done all that, we were always sneaking around. Kind of made it hard to take her to the drive in or ask her to prom or whatever. So, this whole…thing? Definitely new. And I’m trying _really_ hard to do a good job. 

Adora smiles demurely at me when I hold the car door open and sneaks a kiss to my cheek before she slides in. I take a deep, steadying breath before I round the car to get in as well. I’m too anxious to really participate much in the way of conversation on the drive to the theatre so I leave the radio on. She looks stunning, humming along to the songs and sort of mumbling the lyrics under her breath. 

We finally arrive and my nerves are already fried. I hate feeling this way, like I’m about to hurl up my stomach, lungs and anything else that gets in their way on the way out. I don’t _do_ butterflies, but here I am, and my stomach is like the inside of the butterfly house at the science center I went to in the fifth grade. I follow her inside anyway so we can get tickets. She tries to make conversation in line for concessions and I feel guilty when about all I can manage are weak grunts in response. 

The movie is worse, somehow. She puts an arm around my shoulder at some point and I stiffen, even though all I want in the world is to snuggle back into her. She leaves it there, but I can feel the tension in the gesture. And she keeps glancing over at me through the whole thing which just serves to put me even more on edge. This is not going well.

All I really want at this point is to run out of the theatre. All the way home so I can cry in my bed like a little baby with only Melog to judge me. Obviously I can’t though, so I just survive through the movie. It’s basically endless. Or it feels that way at least, until it does finally end. 

Adora unwinds her arms from my shoulders and the loss just makes me want to cry even more. I follow her despondently out of the theatre and we both sort of linger out front.

“Want to walk by the rive a little bit?” Her voice is a devastating mix of hope and hopelessness. It’s kind of cold, but the bite of winter hasn’t settled in yet so I just nod, prolonging my own torture. We walk a ways and at one point I see her start to reach for my hand and think better of it. That fucking stings.

“Um, the movie was good.” I eventually come up with, no idea what else I can say.

“Huh?” Adora startles out of her thoughts. “Oh, yeah it was good.” That’s all we say for a while longer until eventually we come up on a bench. Adora inclines her head toward it and I nod, joining her there. She sighs and something about the sound…I steel myself for rejection. “Listen…Catra.”

“It’s okay!” I rush out, hoping I can avoid actually having to _hear_ what she thought about our disaster of a date. 

She scrunches her face in confusion. “Okay?”

“Ye-yeah, don’t worry about it, I get it.”

“Do you?” I nod emphatically, eager to end this conversation before it starts. 

“I’m really sorry if I…”

She shakes her head and now _she_ looks like she could cry. _Fuck_ , I can’t even get _rejected_ right. “You don’t have to be sorry Catra. It’s okay if you don’t, y’know, want the same thing I want. I hope we can still be friends though?”

That stops me short. “No.” She sucks in a harsh breath and I realize how that could have sounded. Maybe. I’m actually really confused about the situation. “Shit, no I-I mean yeah, friends but I…maybe I _don’t_ understand.”

“Oh.” She pauses and looks away from me to stare at the river bank. “What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry I fucked up our date!” I rush out, and I don’t stop there. The whole truth just starts pouring out of me in a jumbled mess. “I just, I realized I’ve never really _done_ this. And you came out of the house looking so…yeah, and I got so nervous. I can tell you weren’t having a good time, which makes sense because I couldn’t even _say_ anything. And even _I_ know that talking is kind of the whole point. Then the more I made it weird the harder it was to make it less weird and now…. We’re friends and we never even had a date and now you have to dump me, and I made it weird!”

I peek at her from the corner of my eye, catching my breath. She’s still staring at the river, but her eyes have gone wide and I can tell she isn’t really _seeing_ it. “Oh.” I snort humorlessly at that and she finally turns back to me. She takes both my hands in both of hers and I unconsciously wind our fingers together. “Maybe…maybe we both made it weird.”

I give her a doubtful look and she breaks down into hopeless giggling. I don’t have it in me to join her, but I do manage to crack a smile. Somehow I’m still just…completely charmed.

## …

We end up back at Adora’s. For as long as we’ve been friends this is the first time I’ve ended up here. It suits her. It’s so cozy; all soft lighting and excess of fuzzy blankets and pillows strewn across the couch. She invites me to sit while she gets us each a drink. Soon she’s back with two bottles of hard cider and I raise an eyebrow at her. 

“Thought you didn’t approve?”

She shrugs and drops herself onto the couch next to me. “Special occasion.”

I snort. “Oh, but my birthday doesn’t count?”

She laughs and takes a large swig. “Nah, you have one of those every year. We’re only ever gonna have one first date.”

My heart clenches at the addition of the word ‘first’. I try desperately not to put too much stock into it. “So...”

“What did you mean before?” She peels at the label on her bottle. “When you said you’ve never really done this.” 

I look at her with wide eyes, but she doesn’t look back, just keeps peeling away at that damn label. “I…” I scratch the back of my neck nervously, more than a little embarrassed. I’m nineteen for fuck’s sake and on my first actual date. And now _telling_ said date that his is my first one. “She was closeted. We both kind of were by default. It was a secret, before, you know? Makes in kind of hard to…”

Her hand lands on my knee. “Oh, _Catra_.” And then I’m wrapped tightly in her arms. “I was, _am_ , so proud to have been out with you tonight.”

The look she pulls back to give me is just so earnest, I pull her against me again and cry softly into her shoulder. “Me too.” I eventually whisper. “I’m sorry I-“

“You don’t have to, please don’t.”

I nod against her shoulder. “Okay.”

We stay like that for a while and eventually she puts on another movie, a do over she says. This time I snuggle back into her the way I want to. The mound of pillows and fuzzy blankets make it even better.

## …

I drop Adora off at work a few weeks later and Razz is there to greet us. “Mara dearie! You’re late.”

“Razz, my shift doesn’t start for another ten minutes.”

“Humph!”

“Hey Adora…” She turns back to me with an expectant look “Who the fuck is Mara?”

She blinks at me a couple times and then busts out laughing. Razz loses her patience quickly and mumbles something about berries, wandering out the door shortly thereafter. I watch her go and when I turn back to Adora she’s wiping her eyes, settling from her laughter. “Catra…Mara is my cousin, how have you not met? You’re here _all the time_! You know Razz is our great aunt, right?”

“Well apparently she never is! And no, I didn’t.” I defend with a grumble.

Adora relents with a shrug. “That’s true. She and her girlfriend travel a lot. Hope has to for business and Mara likes to tag along.”

I snort. “This town ended up being so fucking gay.”

“You like it.”

“Duh, why do you think I stayed?”

“Hmm…” She smiles in a way that tells me I’m about to get teased. “Sure it wasn’t one gay in particular?”

“Please,” I scoff, inspecting my nails. “don’t flatter yourself.”

“Guess you’ll just have to do that for me.”

I roll my eyes. “As if.” Then I kiss her cheek and leave her giggling behind me. At the door I flip her off and turn back to tell her, “Have a great day at work hottie.”

She laughs harder at that. I ignore what it does to the butterflies in my gut.

## …

She picks me up for this date. I’ve lost count of the number we’ve been on, but the air has started to warm with spring. We’re together all the time so the count must be high by now. I love her. I think she knows but I haven’t told her. I think maybe she loves me too. 

We go to the park; I grumble about how it’s still a bit chilly for a picnic. She just laughs and calls me cute. I tell her she’s a dumbass, and she is. I can’t deny though; I’m charmed by the effort she’s put into this. There’s more food than we could eat in three meals, even factoring in Adora’s appetite. She has it all packed in a cutesy little wicker basket and lays out a plaid blanket for us. 

After we eat, I lay my head in her lap and close my eyes when she runs her fingers through my hair. “Did I ever really thank you?”

“For lunch?” I can hear the grin in her voice. “You did actually, after all the grumbling.”

I shake my head against her legs, careful not to dislodge her fingers from my hair, and look up at her. “For everything?”

“Everything?” Her grin is gone, though a ghost of it still remains around the corners of her mouth, replaced by a look of confusion.

I shrug. “I’m here because of you. I would have just kept running, but you helped me stay.”

The smile is back, more tender than before, and she shift to kiss my forehead, the tip of my nose, then my lips. “I’m really glad you did.”

“Me too. I love Brightmoon.”

She gives me a knowing smile and, yeah, I’m pretty sure she loves me too. “Brightmoon loves you back.”

Every layer of meaning those words could have feels true.  
I am loved.  
I am home.  
I am happy.  
So yeah, I really, really love Brightmoon.

## …

**Author's Note:**

> Woot!! This is the dozenth story I've written in just a couple months so that's absolutely wild. This one was, I'm gonna be real, like 75% an excise to write another version of Catra and Mermista's harmless/shameless flirting, because I love to see it. (Write it, whatever.) I ship them like this so hard with the knowledge that if Mermista did ever act on anything Catra would flip out and probably hide. 
> 
> Anyhoo, thanks for reading this story!! I appreciate your time!


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